In a Nutshell

The Fine Print

Promotional value expires Apr 25, 2012. Amount paid never expires.Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per table. Valid only for option purchased. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Dine-in only. Not valid for happy hour. Not valid on holidays and the first Saturday of the month.Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.

Black Olive

According to Emily Post, napkins may only be used to cover laps, clean up spills, or signal the waiter via semaphore that your table has hit an iceberg. Master restaurant etiquette over a gourmet meal with today’s Groupon to Black Olive. Choose between the following options:

For $15, you get $30 worth of American cuisine and drinks Sunday–Thursday.

For $17, you get $35 worth of American cuisine and drinks on a Friday or Saturday.<p>

The chefs at Black Olive coax American cuisine into the 21st century with a menu of inventive provender served in what Columbus Alive! describes as a dining space inspired by the “hip, retro-‘70s.” Dinner entrees feature fresh selections from the land and sea, such as the pan-seared peppered jumbo scallops, steaming atop a bed of carrot-encrusted potato hash and layered with mozzarella and a garlic-soy reduction ($24). The apple-butter pork loin luxuriates in maple-butter sauce festooned with parmesan grits and sautéed spinach ($22). Pasta dishes occupy entire quadrants of menu space with selections such as the vegetarian potato-portobello gnocchi topped in pesto cream sauce and roasted red peppers ($13).

Patrons who’ve mysteriously taken to eating fare in the middle of the day can peruse the lunch menu flush with salads, pastas, and sandwiches, including the chicken artichoke, which careens toward mouths alongside sundried tomatoes, spinach, and melted provolone on a baguette toboggan ($11). Diners enjoy their upscale eats beside equally posh furnishings of angular chairs and white-linen-covered tales. Wood-paneled walls display murals of modern art and photography, and miniature alcoves house small vases and napkin-folding elves.

Shoku

At Shoku, morsels of succulent beef, marinated chicken, and ocean-fresh seafood fill out feasts of Japanese noodles and sushi or dishes inspired by national favorites of Asian nations including Korea, China, and Thailand. Broth-soaked udon noodles jostle for attention with plates of pad thai, pan-fried pot stickers, and bowls of sizzling beef bulgogi. Guests take a seat inside to watch a master chef deftly carve seafood at the sushi table, or they can lounge under umbrellas at the outdoor seating to watch the passing foot traffic and hourly soapbox derbies along Grandview Avenue.